>> Matt: This week on Friends and Neighbors.

(bright music) >> Jan: Then we started the Pets and Vets program in 2012.

>> Sharon: We wanted to do something for our veterans because that was when the PTSD was really predominant.

And so we came up with this deal that we'll train our veterans free of charge, and that way there they can earn what's called a service dog.

>> Alaina: The hope is that one day this could be a race that veterans and civilians with their service dogs can participate in.

This is the first time ever that canines have competed in a triathlon in the USA.

So we made history and we did it to honor our service dog heroes.

(bright music) >> Tom: This collection encompasses everything that I can possibly find that's military that's really relevant to the different wars.

It goes from the revolution all the way to the present.

(bright music) >> Vernon: Just because of what an officer, whether a police officer or a firefighter, even dispatch, what they deal with on a daily basis.

It's a lot and people need to recognize that.

Those people do a lot for our community.

And you don't have to be at war to get some type of PTSD.

>> Announcer: Centier Bank is proud to serve hometown community banking across Indiana.

For over 128 years, Indiana's largest private family-owned bank has been not for sale and promises to keep it that way for years to come.

(logo chiming) >> Announcer 2: Sacred Dunes Integrative Health is your comprehensive holistic wellness center, specializing in acupuncture, massage therapy, functional lab testing, nutrition and herbal medicine.

Sacred Dunes, where wellness grows.

>> Announcer 3: Local programming is made possible by IBEW, local 697, Northwest Indiana's source for electrical professionals, providing certified, trained, and experienced professionals for residential, commercial, industrial, and solar projects.

(upbeat music) >> I have a very strong connection to other students.

Everyone makes an effort to help each other.

I'll remember the feeling of being here, the feeling that I was a part of a family.

(upbeat music) >> Announcer 4: Strack & VanTil is hiring full and part-time positions for deli, floral, bakery, department managers, and more, with flexible work schedules, sign on bonuses, paid vacation, and benefits.

Learn more at strackandvantil.com.

>> Announcer 5: Methodist Hospital's mission is to provide compassionate quality healthcare services to all those in need.

Methodist Hospital, celebrating 100 years of healing in northwest Indiana.

Learn more at methodisthospitals.org.

(bright music) >> Matt: Additional support for Lake Shore public media and Friends and Neighbors is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(bright music) >> Welcome to Friends and Neighbors, the Lake Shore public media program that explores what it means to live in northwest Indiana, celebrating the idea that behind all good things in the region are people making it happen.

I'm your host Matt Valuckis.

In this episode, we celebrate America's veterans.

For veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, Pets N Vets can offer a canine companion and training to assist them with their needs.

The presence of a service animal may help with daily stresses, physical tasks, or in some cases, alert a veteran companion to a life-threatening event.

All of this is provided free of charge by the highly skilled and compassionate trainers of Pets N Vets.

(upbeat music) >> I've been outta the army since '07.

You know, I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2014, so like for me, it's always been like a dream to have a pup.

You know, it's someone that basically takes my mind off of what's going on, you know, you know, they have your best interest in mind.

So that's always been something to me that's been appealing.

He's been great.

You know, his last training class was last week and his homework assignment was learn how to down and he does pretty good.

He's a serious puppy, takes his training very seriously.

So I think that, you know, oftentimes, especially when you have a mental disability, I think that there are those situations to where, that you're feeling judged, you know, and it's tough, you know, even for me, like my process.

But once you accept that, you start looking for ways to make yourself better.

So you surround yourself with the right people, with the right animals that are gonna make you feel the way that you need to feel, so that you know, it's not a tough day.

We know we're gonna have tough days.

If you're having a tough day, they don't care.

You know, they just, they wanna make you better.

And at the end of the day, that's all we can ask for.

(upbeat music) >> Dunes Dog Training Club began in 1954, and it was a group of people that had gotten together to train dogs in AKC dog obedience.

Then we started the Pets N Vets program in 2012 when the government had taken away any of their funding for the veterans that had PTSD.

>> We wanted to do something for our veterans because that was when the PTSD was really predominant.

And so we came up with this deal that we'll train our veterans free of charge, and that way there they can earn what's now called a service dog.

>> Jan: A service dog is a dog that is there for just the person that has a disability.

They will help their person depending on what their disability is, and are allowed access practically anywhere.

(bright music) We meet with the veterans every week, and they are working at their own level.

Like I said, if they come in with a puppy, they're working in the Puppy Star program.

If they come in with an older dog, then they're working to pass a CGC test or evaluation.

AKC is the American Kennel Club.

The CGC is a canine good citizen test.

So we go through the different steps of that.

We go through basic obedience, sit, down, stay, come when called, those kind of things.

Make them more reliable at their obedience.

(bright music) >> I've got a medical condition.

I was diagnosed with cancer in the year 2000.

And going through the amount of treatments that I've gone through damaged me internally.

So I've got a heart condition.

And so my heart slows down to a point where it'll stop.

And so he alerts me to when it gets too low and I stand up or move to make sure that it doesn't hit that point.

I mean, it's real important for like at night because the dog's nose catches it faster than like a EKG alarm or something like that.

It took us 16 months to be able to get him public access and trusting alerts where I wasn't necessarily constantly looking at my watch or had a electronic device on me to monitor my heart rate.

Without him, I would be tied to an electronic device.

I would have glue on me, I'd have pads on me 24/7, I would be constantly checking, constantly worrying.

Where with having him, it does give you a freedom.

You also, you have a shadow.

And so you've always got somebody with you.

In the military, they always say, you never leave a buddy behind.

And I mean, that's exactly what he's like to me.

I mean, he, I get ready to leave, he sees me starting to put my shoes on, and he can be dead tired at nine o'clock at night and sees me going to go get an ice cream.

And he's like, "All right dad, let's go.

Let's go.

Where's my vest?

I see you getting ready.

I see the keys."

With a dog, you're never alone.

>> Just seeing veterans working with their dogs.

It just makes all the difference in the world.

You know, a dog is just fantastic.

Dog is the best thing you can have, you know, really.

And they're smarter than we are, you know?

But no, it's, I love it.

I love what I do.

I love what we do as a club and there's not any other programs out there that would do it all for nothing.

We don't charge 'em a penny.

Nothing, no.

>> The reason I am so passionate about this program is because my father was a Navy veteran and he loved dogs.

Dogs were a comfort to him.

So I understood while I was growing up how important it was for them to have a canine companion.

So, coming from my personal standpoint and also from my dad's background, that I realized that this is a very important program for a lot of people.

And in the meantime, a lot of the veterans have told us how important it is to them.

You know, different stories that I hear from them.

I realize how important it is for them to have a canine companion and a service dog that they can take practically anywhere with them.

(bright music) >> For more information, please visit the Pets N Vets Facebook page.

Continuing with the special theme of the bond between veterans and dogs, we turn our attention to Leon's Canine Triathlon.

This event is the first of its kind in the United States, and it offers veterans and their service animals a unique opportunity to work together and to persevere in the spirit of competition.

(upbeat music) >> There are races you can do with your dog, and I've seen how in Europe there are triathlons for dogs.

And so I was searching as hard as I could on Google for a triathlon that will allow dogs.

And I contacted our local ones in Tulsa and they said, "You can't have a dog because of insurance."

So then I just had one last effort.

I was on Facebook, I typed in canine triathlon and something called Leon's America Hero Race popped up and it looked like an obstacle course that allowed canines and they also had a triathlon.

So I was wondering if the triathlon allowed canines.

And so I emailed Leon and he got back to me really fast.

I was surprised.

And he was like, "Well, let's see if we can make this work."

And I was not expecting that.

I was expecting the normal response of, "No, sorry, the insurance doesn't allow it."

I did not know who I was dealing with.

And so here we are.

>> This is our 40th anniversary that we're celebrating.

It's a very, very humble beginning.

In fact, in 1983, the sport of triathlon was relatively a newborn.

Very few events across the United States.

And we just had this idea that we can jump into this and do something very special in a humble way.

And the comment was been looking across America.

And there hasn't really been that door opening up where someone would embrace this concept with the service dogs and the veterans having a triathlon.

Soon as she mentioned about veterans and caring about our true heroes, that's everything to us.

There's never really been a service dog triathlon for veterans.

And it's just so intriguing because we have a unique venue here.

We're very fortunate to have this venue, the city, the state.

Everyone has just been so supportive over the years.

So when we mentioned we want to take care of our heroes, and we said they were the dog portion, a lot of people are going, "What?"

And I said, "Yeah, they're gonna swim together, bike together, run together."

And it's just really important to understand the value that they bring to our veterans.

I mean, if you spend any time talking to a veteran that has a service dog, they'll tell you the value of that is just, can't even be measured.

So for us to, in a small way, be able to do something for the first time on American soil that will benefit our veterans and respect our service dogs, we're humbled and we're honored to do that at America's Race.

(bright music) >> I don't do anything without her, and to have something that we could be a part of and support for other people to bring knowledge and expose what they can do, it's mind blowing.

She saved my life when I was in very bad times.

She absolutely a hundred percent saved my life.

And she makes me wanna be a better person every day.

And you can't replace that.

Leon does a great job of bringing, you know, he paints a picture of what we're here for and why we're here and who's sacrificed for us to be here.

>> I loved it, loved every second of it.

It was our first anything like this.

We met Elena through an event last week, a weekend.

It was a canine obstacle course, 5k.

And it was our first ever.

So we had a blast.

And she told me about this and I was like, "I love it.

We're in."

>> Today was a lot of fun, a lot of fun.

We've done a couple of running races together and he loves to play fetch in the water.

My coach heard about this triathlon and so she told me to check it out.

And we signed up a week and a half ago, but this was the first time that we were ever on a bike together with me biking and him running.

It's always fun to do something with Riggins where he gets excited and he loves to run and play and swim.

And so to have an environment where he can do all of those activities in one is amazing and it's something I'll treasure for many years to come.

>> It's cool to have everything in your mind and you have people telling you, this is gonna be awesome, but you don't believe it till you see it.

And it was awesome.

The hope is that one day this could be a race that veterans and civilians with their service dogs could participate in.

That even if you have a service dog and it needs to go everywhere with you, you can still do a triathlon.

It doesn't prevent you from doing that, 'cause you can do it with your service dog and with your companion who needs to be there to make sure you're okay.

So that's the hope in growing the sport in the US.

This is the first time ever that canines have competed in a triathlon in the USA.

So we made history and we did it to honor our service dog heroes.

(slow peaceful music) >> For more information on Leon's canine triathlon, visit leonstriathlon.com.

Veteran and retired Lake Central history teacher Tom Clark has been collecting a wide array of war artifacts and paying tribute to the veterans of all wars.

For him, history is more than dates in a textbook.

It's the collective stories and the sacrifices of the individuals that make history.

(sentimental music) >> I served in a military after high school from 1976 to 1979 in Germany as a military policeman.

Then I got out of the Army and went to college, got my degree, got hired at Lake Central as a history teacher.

And I believe it was in my 25th or 26th year during 9/11, I tried to get back in, but they told me I was in my forties.

They told me I was too old.

And I fought 'em for four or five years.

And finally in 2005 they allowed me back in.

But in the Indiana National Guard, we immediately started preparing to deploy.

And I volunteered to go to Katrina with the 38th military police platoon, and I went there and served.

Then when I came back, we went to Afghanistan.

We went to Afghanistan for a year, from January of '06 to January of '07.

And that was my time in the military.

(sentimental music) In the classroom, you know, the teachers all put on the board like the dates, remember this.

It's not that, and that's why people, young people come into a classroom and they're like, "Oh wow, this is gonna be boring."

I see history as a story.

This collection encompasses everything that I can possibly find that's military that's really relevant to the different wars.

It goes from the revolution all the way to the present.

So my job as a teacher and through this, this stuff helps me, enables me to speak to them.

And it's a story, an incredible story, an interesting story.

One that I found very interesting, I've got one guy, he had no thumbs and they wouldn't let him in the US military, but they let him in the Ambulance Corps and he went over there and served.

He served for a long time in France.

And then once the American military came over in 1917, they allowed him to join the US military with no thumbs.

And he's buried in an unmarked grave in St. Augustine, Florida.

And we're trying desperately to get him a military headstone.

People that surround us just you think are ordinary people, common people.

They went off and endured, you know, weeks and months and years of suffering for this country.

They gave, you know, they were away from their families.

And that's what I hope people take away, that they see that there's been sacrifices before them to give them what they have today.

I think it's very important for us to look back in history where we've come from in order to see where we're going in the future, and the great sacrifices these individuals have made for our country.

And by keeping these items and teaching the history, the letters I have are incredible.

They reveal what their thoughts were about this country and about what they were doing.

And not only, you know, from the home front, but also on the front itself.

That's something I think that needs to be preserved.

I feel as if I'm a custodian of these items, that these items need to be passed down and preserved and continued to viewed as to what they stand for.

(sentimental music) It's interesting to see the Vietnam veterans and the World War II veterans come in and they feel so honored also.

You know, at first, when I started this years ago doing the research on the state casualties, I was fearful that the Vietnam veterans will be I don't know, not offended, but you know, not attached to it, but they were very attached to it because those are their brothers that went and served, brothers and sisters that went and served.

And they felt that it was the right thing to do.

And by honoring the ones that died or gave their lives for this country, we're also honoring the ones that lived.

(sentimental music) >> To experience these stories, visit the Tri-Town Safety Village in Schererville, Indiana.

Vernon Brown considered himself very fortunate when he finished serving his country.

Having left the Marines without any major issues, he saw that not everyone was so lucky and he felt morally obligated to help.

He started the Chesterton Brewery as a way to raise funds for organizations that not only help veterans, but also first responders to get the help that they need.

(upbeat twangy music) >> The Chesterton Brewery was built and based on a means to give back to our veterans in need.

Not only just our military, but our first responders as well.

Everybody loves craft beer, right?

So we're heavily supported.

We have good barbecue here.

So people come in and we do fundraisers and people love to come in and drink beer and eat.

And that enables us to raise money for those in need.

Veterans Brewing for Veterans is just a, it's basically our slogan on how we're able to be a conduit to get those that need help, the help they need.

I served in the United States Marine Corps, '90 to '94, but I got out, I have all my digits, all my limbs.

I don't have PTSD, so I'm a very fortunate Marine to not have any deficiencies in that manner.

And so I felt that we needed to find a way to give back to those who paid a large sacrifice or the ultimate sacrifice.

Yeah, there's always those that need something.

And it's so vast across the country and we're just touching just a tiny, tiny portion of that.

(sentimental music) Other things that we support is first responders, local police department's big, the fire department's big.

People think that PTSD is associated just with the military, and that's not true, it's tremendous.

So it's right here in our hometown as well.

Just because of what an officer, whether a police officer or a firefighter, even dispatch, what they deal with on a daily basis.

It's a lot.

And people need to recognize that.

Those people do a lot for our community.

And you don't have to be at war to get some type of PTSD.

(sentimental music) Well, there's so many things that go on here on an annual basis.

When our beers come out, they have a very generic name, whether it's just an IPA, a West Coast IPA, a New England IPA.

And then when we find somebody to honor or an organization to honor, we'll go ahead and change the name of that beer, and something that comes to mind, Thorstad, our Thorstad is an amber ale.

It honors Staff Sergeant Thorstad, whose Marine Corps uniform hangs in the brewery here.

He was killed in 1983 in the Beirut bombings.

So from Chesterton, Chesterton native.

So we do things like that and people will come in and they wanna honor a loved one, not only with the chairs, but some of our tables as well have plaques in 'em.

And what's kind of crazy is people will come in on a Sunday before the football game and the first thing they do is go and look for their loved one's chair.

Then they'll take that, take it to their favorite spot at the bar and or at a table and then replace that chair and take it back.

So there's a little bit of musical chairs some days when we first open.

Back the Blue 22, that's for our local police department, Chesterton Police Department.

All money raised is for equipment and training.

This is our largest event that we're putting on.

For the past three years since we've been open, we have done a ceremony to honor the fallen police officers.

May 14th is Police Day.

And we'll just read the names of the fallen for that year.

And there's a lot, we don't read all the names out of the United States.

We just do Indiana.

This year we're lighting a torch for them.

And then after that we bump into our fundraising activities where we have a couple bands coming in and food and drink and so where the community can come together, support their local police department, show some love, and just enjoy the day with some good music.

(upbeat music) The new patrons we get in, they're just blown away.

And then some people are clogging up the aisles 'cause they're in awe of everything that's going on, that supporting our first responders or supporting the vets, and the patriotic things that we do here and just how it's decorated.

And so, yeah, people would just come in and they're a little mind blown at first.

Whether we're honoring somebody's loved one or listening to Jessica Lynch tell her story.

Not a dry eye in the house that night, but we get speakers out.

But people like Indiana Quilts come out or Quilts of Honor, they come out and they'll honor somebody.

Yeah, there's so many emotional things that are tied, but then also the fundraising when at the end of the day and you turn over that check and you see, well, it was a lot of work, but in the end it's worth it, right?

And so yeah, there's definitely a tear in the beer, if you will, up here in the brewery.

>> Visit Chesterton Brewery to sample what's on tap and to contribute to a noble cause.

At Lake Shore Public Media, we ask that you take the time to think about the many veterans that contribute to our community, not only as military personnel, but as friends and neighbors.

If you know of a veteran or a veterans group that could use a spotlight, email us at friends@lakeshorepublicmedia.org.

Maybe next time we'll highlight the unique people, places, and experiences that are your Northwest Indiana favorites.

Until then, be kind and celebrate your friends, neighbors, and veterans.

>> Announcer: Centier Bank is proud to serve hometown community banking across Indiana.

For over 128 years, Indiana's largest private family-owned bank has been not for sale and promises to keep it that way for years to come.

(logo chiming) >> Announcer 2: Sacred Dunes Integrative Health is your comprehensive holistic wellness center, specializing in acupuncture, massage therapy, functional lab testing, nutrition and herbal medicine.

Sacred Dunes, where wellness grows.

>> Announcer 3: Local programming is made possible by IBEW, local 697, Northwest Indiana's source for electrical professionals, providing certified, trained, and experienced professionals for residential, commercial, industrial, and solar projects.

>> Announcer 4: Strack & VanTil is hiring full and part-time positions for deli, floral, bakery, department managers, and more, with flexible work schedules, sign on bonuses, paid vacation, and benefits.

Learn more at strackandvantil.com.

>> Almost every single professor I've had, I'm on a first name basis.

By building that relationship with faculty, I was able to get involved with research.

It's one thing to read about an idea in a book versus physically doing it and seeing the results.

(upbeat music) >> Announcer 5: Methodist Hospital's mission is to provide compassionate quality healthcare services to all those in need.

Methodist Hospital, celebrating 100 years of healing in northwest Indiana.

Learn more at methodisthospitals.org.

(bright music) >> Matt: Additional support for Lake Shore Public Media and Friends and Neighbors is provided by viewers like you.

Thank you.

>> Announcer 5: Did you know that you can find all of your favorite Lake Shore PBS shows online?

Visit video.lakeshorepbs.org.

You can stream a large selection of shows, including "Eye On the Arts", "In Studio", and "Friends and Neighbors."

Miss the last night's episode?

No problem.

Lake Shore PBS has got you covered.

Search for your show and find your episode ready to watch at any time.

Visit video.lakeshorepbs.org to stream your favorite local shows.

>> Announcer 6: Across Northwest Indiana, stories are told, shared and sought after.

Tune into Lake Shore Public Media, 89.1 fm.

To hear these stories about Northwest Indiana and your community, streaming online at lakeshorepublicmedia.org.

(bright music)